Sunday, December 15, 2013

This 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 convertible was first a Grand Touring machine that took its owner from Leslie, Michigan to Alaska and back, then a successful drag racer until it was placed in storage in 1975. Following the purchase by its present owner in 1986 it underwent a painstaking restoration that was completed in 1988. It subsequently was included in the 1988 and 2008 Bloomington Gold Special Collection, Earthquake 88 and L88 Invasion events. Documentation includes the owner’s manual, warranty book, tank sticker and Bloomington certificates.

Monday, December 9, 2013

After a glorious racing career the famed Essex Wire Shelby GT350 was exiled to an Ontario barn until 1981 when it was famously rescued by Rick Kopec, who purchased it for $5,000.00. After five years of collecting pieces for the restoration, Kopec delivered 098 to restorer Chris Liebenberg, who spent three years coaxing the sheetmetal back to its original contours and renewing every single part until the car was completely restored. Gus Zuidema, the former Shelby high performance service manager at Harr Ford of Worcester, Massachusetts, built the 289/271 HP engine to the original R-Model specifications so that it developed a realistic 360 horsepower. 098 was refinished in its original Wimbledon White, along with the lettering and wide Black Essex stripe that it wore throughout its career. While it usually raced as either number 92 or 9, it now wears 98 to signify its serial number. To my mind that is also a nice nod to the number 98 employed by both Carroll Shelby and Dan Gurney; it's an Amertican road racing icon and should always be valued. The Essex Wire Shelby GT350 crossed the block at Dana Mecum's 2009 Original Spring Classic Auction.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

America was in the grip of the Great Depression when this 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible, engine number J-391, chassis 2315, and body 952 was completed by Walter M. Murphy Coachbuilders of Pasadena, California as a demonstrator for Duesenberg’s Los Angeles sales branch. Originally painted in Washington Blue, it was sold to Hollywood screen writer Gene Markey, who later became a highly decorated Rear Admiral after World War II. A series of owners in the 1940s included James Talmadge (son of Buster Keaton and Norma Talmadge), who in 1952 traded the car to actor Tyrone Power for a new MG. Power owned the car until his death at the age of 44 in 1958, after which it was sold to J.B. Nethercutt and then to Bill Harrah's Auto Museum in Reno, Nevada.

Ford launched its “Total Performance” campaign in 1963 and delivered on that promise in its full-size lineup half way through the year with a big surprise. The 1963½ Galaxie 500 and 500XL hardtops were fitted with a sleek fastback roof to improve aerodynamics on NASCAR’s super speedways, but the big news was under the hood in the form of Ford’s new 427 CI V-8. The R-code dual 4-barrel version took the engine’s potential to a new level, using a forged steel crank and cross-bolted main bearing caps, forged aluminum pistons, a lightweight valvetrain and solid lifter cam to punch out 425 HP and 480 lb-ft of torque. This 1963 Ford Galaxie R-Code will cross the block at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction Friday, January 24 at 6:40 PM.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

From 1967 to 1969 Chevrolet built exactly 216 of what would become known as the Holy Grail of Corvettes, the L88. Production peaked at 116 cars in 1969, one of which is offered here in this expertly restored L88 convertible. In 1977 the car was discovered in Knoxville, Tennessee by Bryan Cooper, now promoter of the Knoxville Corvette Expo for 36 years, and former Corvette dealer and noted authority Paul Kitchen, who is also credited as one of the early contributors to the classic Corvette collector’s lodestar, the Corvette Black Book by Mike Antonick. The pair took the car to Cooper’s shop, where they dropped the gas tank to retrieve the all-important tank sticker that would reveal its specifications in detail.